From correspondents in Kanto, Japan, 07:37 PM IST

Tokyo experienced its first winter without any snowfall since 1876, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Thursday.

The weather service's observatory point in Otemachi, central Tokyo, did not record any snowfall from December to February, the period defined as winter in Japan.

According to the agency, the Japanese capital usually has heavy snowfall in early spring rather than in midwinter. However, as the temperatures are expected to remain higher than usual, snowfalls seem even more unlikely this month.

Last winter was extremely cold in Japan. However, this year's was warmer than expected, with average temperatures in January 1.44 degrees Celsius higher than usual.

Sales of winter clothing and kerosene suffered, resulting in a 0.8 percent year-on-year fall in the country's retail sales in January, according to government statistics.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)